The Death Star has one distinct advantage over Starkiller Base - mobility. This isn’t just useful tactically, it’s ability to be used as a very visible means of intimidation would arguably be invaluable when you consider that it was supposed to deter uprisings.

I think a lot of it would have been more effective if they’d made a slight tweak to the origins of Starkiller base:

The wildly erratic nature of Kylo’s force powers seems to mirror his wildly erratic emotional state - when he’s got his shit together and feels in control, he’s stopping blaster fire in mid-air. When he’s just killed his dad and is confronting a traitor and this stupid untrained scavenger girl who’s already proven to…

Speaking as a humanities academic (I even got a philosophy degree in undergrad)... please, please stop.

YES, that shot! I’d been mostly meh about the 3D up until that point - not bad enough to be distracting, not good enough to be noteworthy - but that one shot of the Star Destroyer really conveyed a sense of how freaking huge those things are supposed to be.

I think it’s pretty clear he meant “a [Star Wars] novel.” Making it about reading novels in general wouldn’t just be insulting, it’d be nonsensical.

While I love her responses, I couldn’t help but have a little twinge of sympathy for the dad.

Credit where it’s due for trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Because you’re right, people (even those who should know better) are all too quick to resort to misogynistic attacks on prominent women.

I can one-up you on pedantic, though - “species” is an artificially designed categorization that humans create to order animal life in a way that makes sense, but is actually very difficult to define in a consistent fashion.

I don’t see Rex as a deus ex machina so much as a MacGuffin (or more accurately, a supplier of MacGuffins). He doesn’t instantly solve problems for the Alliance, he just points them towards (admittedly deeply convenient) solutions that they then have to figure out the details for themselves.

Star Wars continues, Star Trek pretty much hit a wall after Into Darkness and it’s a damaged brand again.

You know, I’ve always wanted this movie to succeed because hey: Star Wars!

GHW Bush always struck me as one of the last sane Republicans. Hell, the guy called Reagan out on the fact that trickle down economics was bullshit (before selling out for the VP slot, of course).

Personally, I’m right there with you.

Actually, I think it would be both appropriate and hilarious if they included Darth Maul.

I’m a communications professor, and I’ve actually talked with some science professors about creating a course that would do exactly that.

You know, I don’t usually go in for reaction videos too often, because even if the emotions seem sincere, I can’t help but remind myself, “Yeah, but these are also actors trying to sell their product.”

Sweet, thank you for pointing this out - I was at that ceremony the other day, but didn’t get to see the actual bottle breaking moment because my lady friend and I snuck out at the end of the First Lady’s speech to avoid the ridiculous traffic.

“I think it’s an offshoot of the concept that if you just believe hard enough, you can bend reality to your will. Reality is increasingly seen as a flexible thing that can be changed if you want it hard enough.”